


and it was me and you

by songofthe52hertzwhale



Category: Dalton Academy Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 05:06:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 11,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14663922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofthe52hertzwhale/pseuds/songofthe52hertzwhale
Summary: A "what if Sebastian made it to the airport in time" AU.





	1. this night's a perfect shade of

Julian can’t stop smiling on the flight back to the States.

He brings his hand to his mouth, presses his fingers against his lips. He can still taste it, the caramel-coffee essence of _Sebastian_  lingering on his lips, even hours later. He’s aware of the way his co-stars keep looking at him, sees the glances they shoot his way every so often. He hears them whispering, knows Clark’s the one hissing at them to _shut up, seriously, he doesn’t have to explain if he doesn't want to_.

Julian doesn’t know _how_ to explain, really.  They'd  _seen_ it, after all -- every major player in Something Damaged had gotten a front-row seat to the whole affair. He's not sure it even warrants an explanation, at this point; what does he even need to say?

_Surprise, everyone, I like boys._

_Yes, I know he kissed me, I was there.  
_

_I think we’re dating? We didn’t really define it. I guess we probably should?_

Whatever all of this is, he just knows he’s _happy_. He can feel something new and exciting blooming in his chest, can’t seem to pull his lips out of that ridiculous grin.

Sebastian had _actually_ shown up.

Julian honestly hadn’t let himself hope. He didn’t expect Sebastian to take their deal, to sprint up to the gate red-faced and panting. To make a beeline straight to Julian, yank him out of his seat and pull him in for a kiss in front of everyone. Didn’t quite believe it, even when Sebastian pulled away, smiled softly at him and said he wanted to _try_.

He'd expected to fly home feeling rejected. Had only allowed himself a handful of hopeful glances up, assumed Sebastian would take the easy way out and let Julian leave without another word. 

But he  _hadn't_.

He'd  _shown up_.

Julian's fairly certain he went into mild shock during the kiss, had frozen the moment he saw Sebastian's familiar face headed his way. He hopes he'd at least managed to kiss back, had done  _something_ other than stand there dumbly and stare wide-eyed as Sebastian grinned at him. 

 _Your friends are staring, kitten,_ he'd murmured,  _And I'm pretty sure your flight is boarding._

He'd nodded at that, half-aware of the call coming over the speaker. Sebastian just laughed, lightly, promised to call and gently pushed Julian towards the gate. 

Clark had to practically drag him onto the plane, after, and Julian had looked back a half-dozen times, smile widening every time he saw Sebastian’s grinning face still watching him.

He looks down at his phone, now, already composing a text to send when they touch ground. He has no idea what to say, no clue where to start with this.

For the first time, the uncertainty doesn't scare him.

It's  _exciting_.

It’s such a _weird_ , foreign feeling. This terrifying, exhilarating _hope._ That he might finally get to be happy, that someone _finally_ wants him back.

“Hey,” Clark speaks softly, knocking his arm against Julian’s, “You look really happy, J.”

“…yeah,” Julian says, laughing a little, “I think I actually am.”


	2. coming out of my cage

“I’M BACK, YOU SORRY BASTARDS!”

It’s a little disappointing, the lack of appreciation for his dramatic entrance. Logan barely glances up, ticking off his name with apparent disinterest. For once, the lack of care doesn’t hurt. He’s just gotten off the phone with Sebastian, and he’s riding a high even Logan Wright can’t squash right now.

Derek’s giving him an odd look, but he just excuses himself to his room, makes up an excuse about unpacking and showering. His phone buzzes again, and he grins down at the message.

_Let me know if I need to fly out there and fight blondie._

He laughs, taps out a response.

 _You could always fly out here and make out with me, instead_.

He’s still grinning when Logan comes to his door, raps his knuckles on the wood and calls out to Julian, asking if he wants to go to dinner. He tries to calm down the ridiculous smile, school his features into something a bit more neutral.

“You look different,” Logan says over his steak, frowning across the table, “Doesn’t he look different, Derek?”

Derek glances up, stares at Julian for a minute.

“…he got tanner,” he says, after a pause. Logan doesn’t look entirely placated, but he drops the subject, immediately launching into a tirade about Anderson and the other Windsors. Derek keeps shooting Julian curious glances, as if he’s waiting for him to say something.

He doesn’t approach the subject until after dinner, when Logan’s ducked away to work on a song he plans on performing for Kurt the next day.

“You look happy,” Derek blurts, staring at Julian, “That’s why you look different.”

“I’m _Julian Larson_ ,” Julian says, “I’m hot, I’m rich, I’m super talented. Why _wouldn’t_ I be happy?”

“Usually when Logan’s in love with someone you’re absolutely miserable.”

Julian freezes.

“…what did you say?”

“I know you have feelings for him,” Derek says, evenly, “You’re really not as subtle as you think you are.”

Julian doesn’t know what to say. He has no idea how long Derek’s known, no clue _how_ he knows.

“You don’t seem to care, this time,” Derek frowns at him, like he’s trying to figure him out, “Are you…you’re seeing someone, aren’t you? You don’t care about Logan, and you keep looking at your phone, and you’re _smiling_...”

“I smile,” Julian argues, “I was voted best smile in Teen Vogue last month, didn't you see?”

“You’re _really_ smiling,” Derek says, “Not the fake crap you do in photoshoots.”

“I…”

“You don’t have to talk about it,” Derek says quickly, “I just want you to know that you can, if you want. You know where I live.”

He smiles reassuringly, pats Julian on the shoulder before disappearing into his room.

Julian lets out a breath, watches the door close behind him.

"I have a boyfriend," he says, softly.

But Derek's already gone.


	3. whenever I stumble, let me know

“High school is _awful_. Why am I doing this, again?”

“To prove you can, probably. You seem like the kind of guy to just keep piling shit on your plate until you implode.”

“…”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“I could totally just get my GED with the on-set tutors. I don’t actually _need_ this.”

“But…?”

“I don’t know. It’s kinda nice, to pretend like I'm normal for once.”

“Well I can tell you with complete honesty that high school being awful is a totally normal teenage thing.”

“I have three papers to write tonight. _Three_.”

“Yet instead of working on them, you’re calling me.”

“Oh I’m sorry, am I bothering you?”

“Not at all, kitten. You know I love talking to you.”

“Even though it’s — fuck, it’s like three in the morning there, isn’t it?”

“Mm. Something like that.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. I wasn’t even thinking.”

“Hey no, none of that. I couldn’t really sleep anyway.”

“No?”

“Miss having you in my bed too much, kitten.”

“…”

“Sorry, too forward?”

“I just…I wish I was there. Long distance kinda sucks.”

“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

“What? No! I just…miss you.”

“…”

“Don’t _laugh_ at me.”

“I wasn’t, I just…I miss you too, J.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“…so you’re in bed right now?”

“As most people are in the middle of the night.”

“Is it totally cheesy if I ask what you’re wearing?”

“Oh god, don’t do this to me. Phone sex won’t be _nearly_ as good as the real thing.”

“I was that good, hm?”

“You blew my fucking mind, J.”

“Among other things.”

“God, I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“No. I don’t.”

“I don’t hate you, either.”

“Well that’s promising. It’d be kinda awkward telling people I have a boyfriend who hates me.”

“…are we?”

“Are we what?”

“Boyfriends. We never really had the chance to talk about it.”

“…I think I want to be.”

“Yeah? Me too.”

“I’m probably gonna be pretty bad at it.”

“Me too.”

“We can work on it together, then?”

“…yeah. Yeah I’d really like that."

“Good. Now, can you do something for me?”

“Yeah?”

“Go write your goddamn papers.”

“…fine. Goodnight, S.”

“Goodnight, J.”


	4. you and I'll be safe and sound

“I don’t know what to do,” Julian’s almost sobbing into the phone, “I don’t…I’m _scared_ , S, it’s like they’re _here_.”

“Breathe, Julian,” Sebastian’s voice is calm, level, “Just breathe for me, okay?”

Julian tries, hunches over with his elbows on his knees, struggles to stop the tears.

“They’re at my _school_ , S,” he says, “What am I supposed to do?”

“I’m gonna handle it, okay? Are you alone right now?”

“Yeah,” Julian breathes, “Yeah. I’m in my room.”

“Okay,” he can almost _hear_ Sebastian thinking through the phone, “I want you to go find one of your friends, alright? Derek or blond--Logan, whoever, it doesn’t matter. Just find one of them, don’t let them leave you alone, okay?”

Julian nods, belatedly realizes Sebastian can’t see him.

“I’m going to make a few calls. Let me know if anything else happens, okay?”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Call the fucking police, for starters. You’re getting _threats_. That's a big fucking deal, J.”

“No,” Julian’s voice breaks, tears spilling anew, “No, S, they said they’d _hurt_ someone you _can't_...”

“The police know how to deal with shit like this. Way better than a teenager does. Go find your friends. Now.”

“Okay,” Julian chokes out, “I…thank you.”

“Anytime, kitten.”

Julian stumbles out into the hallway, makes his way across the hall. Derek and Logan are thankfully both in, huddled over their chemistry textbooks. Derek looks up first, drops his pen when he sees Julian’s face.

“Shit, Jules, are you okay?”

Julian opens his mouth, closes it, shakes his head.

Derek rises from his seat, grabs Julian by the shoulder and leads him to an empty chair.

“What happened?” Logan asks, shutting the textbook and frowning over at him.

“…someone’s stalking me,” Julian says, voice cracking, “I…It’s getting bad.”

Derek and Logan share a look. Julian takes a deep breath, spills everything.

It takes him longer than it should. He’s half sobbing, trying to get a word in between the violent tremors that keep overtaking his body. Derek makes him sit, coaches him through what Julian’s starting to think might be a panic attack before he lets Julian speak again.

By the time he gets out the whole story, Derek looks alarmed and Logan furious. He stands up, crosses and uncrosses his arms.

“We’re calling the police,” he says, shortly, “We…I’m calling my _dad_ , we need to get some kind of security here…”

They all look up when there’s a knock at the door. Julian’s already on edge, reflexively reaches over and grabs Derek’s arm.

“It’s fine, Julian,” he says, patting his hand before moving to the door.

Dean Ramsey and Murdoch are standing in the hall, looking very serious. Ramsey cranes her neck when the door opens, looks over Derek’s shoulder.

“Mr. Larson? Would you mind coming with me, please?”

He follows in a haze, dimly aware of Logan and Derek trailing after him. Ramsey sits him down, tells him she’d received a phone call from someone concerned about his safety. He’s almost impressed that Sebastian had worked so fast, would probably wonder about how he did it if he wasn’t so terrified.

Derek and Logan talk more than he does, sitting in the office. They tell Ramsey about the threats, demand she do something to keep Julian safe. In the end, the Westerville police department agrees to send regular patrols, promises to have someone constantly monitoring the school's security cameras. Ramsey insists on Derek and Logan accompanying Julian to and from class, promises them they'll be allowed to leave classes early to meet Julian at his own classroom.

“We’ll get this taken care of Mr. Larson, don’t worry. I do feel obligated to notify your mother about all this, however. I want you to take this very seriously, do you understand me? No running off alone.”

Julian just nods, too overwhelmed and exhausted to argue.

It’s late by the time they get back to the dorm, and Julian collapses into his bed without another word. He hears Derek and Logan arguing quietly over him, feels one of them climb onto the bed beside him.

He’s grateful his friends have been so great about this, really.

He just _really_ wishes Sebastian were here, too. 


	5. I'll take care of you if you ask me to

It doesn’t take the police too long to figure out where the threats are coming from.

Murdoch and Ramsey scour through hours of security camera footage, find tape of a hooded figure approaching the Stuart steps. The cops manage to get fingerprints off one of the letters, show up halfway through third period to make an arrest.

Derek and Logan flank Julian, each with a steady hand on his shoulders, as Adam Clavell is escorted off campus in handcuffs.

“He was a _student_ ,” Julian says into the phone that night, “I walked past him in the hall _every day_. He sat next to Derek in history. He gave me a piece of gum, once. He was _here._ ”

“But he’s gone now,” Sebastian says, soothingly, “He’s not going to hurt you.”

“Thank you,” Julian sits on his bed, runs a hand through his hair, “For…for taking care of everything like that. I panicked, a little. A lot.”

“It’s okay. I think that’s my job now, you know? Taking care of you.”

Julian smiles, wishes more than anything he could kiss him right now.

“…I miss you,” he admits, feeling more than a little ridiculous, “I’ve never really missed anyone I dated before. Is that weird?”

Sebastian chuckles, a nice, low sound “Not that weird. I’ve never missed anyone before, either.”

“But you miss me?”

“I really do,” Sebastian takes a breath, and his voice changes in tone a little, “I uh…I still can’t believe that guy actually transferred into your school.”

“Creepy, right?”

“Would it be equally creepy if I did?”

Julian almost drops his phone in surprise.

“If you…if you what, exactly?”

“See, my dad thinks I need a little more _structure_ , or something,” Sebastian says, “He gave me a list of boarding schools last night. Told me I could pick. Dalton’s on the list.”

“…oh,” Julian’s staring at his floor, mind swimming.

“If you’re not cool with that, I totally get it,” Sebastian says quickly, “I mean we just _barely_ started dating, I get that it’d be kind of weird for me to transfer to your school. Especially with everything that’s happened. There's a school in Vermont that doesn't look bad...”

“No," Julian interrupts him, a small smile gracing his lips, "It wouldn’t be weird, if you were here.”

“Oh?”

“I mean I’m not here all the time anyway, you know,” Julian tries not to sound too excited by the idea, “But it might be kind of nice being in the same country, at least.”

“Yeah?” Sebastian _sounds_ like he’s smiling, “I thought maybe I could come visit, then? Check out the school and see what I think?”

“…I’d like that,” Julian says, “I mean…after everything I think I could really…I’d really like that.”

“Do um…do your friends know about us?”

Julian’s smile fades. He feels _guilty_ almost, like Sebastian’s going to think he’s ashamed of him.

“Derek knows I’m seeing someone,” he says, “I haven’t…I haven’t told them it’s a guy, exactly.”

“Okay. I can try to hold off on the PDA, then.”

“No,” Julian says firmly, “I should tell them, probably. I just…need to find the right moment, I guess.”

Sebastian’s quiet, for a moment, and Julian wonders if he’s irritated with him.

“S…”

“What about that parent’s night thing? It's next week, right?”

“Seriously?” Julian frowns, “I mean that’s kind of for _parents_ …”

“Yeah, I’m sure _Dolce Larson_ is going to make a trip out to Ohio for some high school fair. You should have someone there.”

“…you really want to come out here?”

“Of course I do,” Sebastian lowers his voice, sending chills down Julian’s spine, “I miss you, kitten.”

“Okay,” Julian breathes, “Yeah. That sounds good.”

“Perfect. Because I just bought my plane ticket. See you soon, J.”

That night, Julian sleeps better than he has in months.


	6. I want the world to know

“I’m bi.”

Julian stares into the mirror, watches his mouth form the word.

“I have a boyfriend.”

He frowns, furrows his brow.

“I’m seeing someone. His name is Sebastian.”

That doesn’t sound quite right, either.

“I met this guy in Paris. He makes me really happy. We’re kind of dating, now. I _really_ like him.”

“You’re _what_?”

Julian spins around, eyes widening as he takes in Logan’s stunned expression. He hadn't heard the door open, hadn't seen Logan step into the room.

“Lo,” he breathes, “I um…I just…”

“You’re dating a _guy_?!”

The thing is, Julian could deny it so easily. Could say he’s practicing for a role, rehearsing lines for a scene. But Sebastian's flight is in _four days_ , and Julian’s so tired of keeping all these secrets.

“…yes,” he says, after a beat, “I am.”

Logan looks completely thrown, leans against the doorway as he tries to process this.

“You may as well come in,” Julian says, “I don’t need everyone in that hallway hearing all my personal shit.”

Logan shuts the door, turns back to Julian, blinking a little more than normal. Julian just sits, waits for him to say something.

"So," Logan says, staring at a point on the wall, "You're gay, then?"

Julian looks up, eyes narrowed, "That's bi erasure, Wright." 

“…what?” Logan still looks thrown, and Julian figures this might not be the best time to mess with him.

“I’m bi, I mean,” he says, “But yeah. I’m dating a guy. Sebastian.”

“ _Sebastian_?” Logan pulls a face, “Seriously, you could pick anyone and you choose someone named after the crab in The Little Mermaid.”

“You’re into a guy named Kurt,” Julian responds, “ _Kurt_.”

Logan just shakes his head, “How long?”

“I met him over Christmas.”

“No, I meant…the bi thing.”

“My whole life? Pretty sure that’s how it works.”

Logan makes an annoyed sound, glares Julian’s way.

“Before Dalton,” he finally admits, avoiding Logan’s eyes, “I’ve known for a long time.”

“Why did you never tell us?”

Julian shrugs, a little uncomfortable, “I’m not…I’m not used to telling people things like that, you know? Talking about personal shit like that.”

“We’re _friends_ ,” Logan says, sounding a little hurt.

“I know,” Julian says, “It’s not…it was just weird, after awhile, you know? I didn’t know how to bring it up.”

“…were you _practicing_?” Logan glances up at the mirror, where Julian had been standing, “Were you like, _rehearsing_ to tell us?”

“…maybe. Kinda.”

Logan snorts out a laugh, finally lightening the mood.

“He’s flying out next week,” Julian says, looking over at him, “I promised him I’d tell you guys before he got here.”

“You really like this guy, huh?”

Julian ducks his head, smiles to himself.

“Yeah. I really do.”

"...well then. I guess we'll meet him soon, then."


	7. wrapped up with eyes closed

Julian’s twitching a little, as he waits for Sebastian’s plane to land. He’d gotten to the airport obnoxiously early, for some reason nervous about making it on time. But now he’s got all kinds of free time, has nothing better to do but pace back and forth and glance up at the door

He’s not sure _why_ he’s so anxious. Sebastian had texted just before the plane took off, and Julian _knows_ he’s coming, knows he wouldn’t fly all this way just to decide he doesn’t want this after all. But he still has this awful, irrational fear that Sebastian will take one look at him and decide he isn’t worth it, will turn right back around and fly back to Paris.

He shakes out the tension in his shoulders, briefly wonders if he has time to throw up in the restroom. But then the doors open, and Sebastian walks out, looking a little tired. He glances around baggage claim, meets Julian’s eyes. Smiles.

Julian feels that warm, bubbling hope in his chest again. He takes a step, and another step, and before he knows it, he’s wrapping his arms around Sebastian, feels himself lifted off the ground as Sebastian grabs him back. He laughs, a bright, echoing sound, and presses a kiss to Sebastian’s cheek.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” he says, pulling back to look into Sebastian’s eyes.

“I’m here,” Sebastian smiles back at him, brings a hand up to cup his face, “God, you’re even more beautiful than I remember, you know that?”

“I’m already _dating_ you,” Julian laughs, “You don’t have to say shit like that.” 

“It’s true, though,” Sebastian leans in, kisses him softly, “Crazy beautiful.”

Julian laughs, takes his hand. He can feel Sebastian staring at him as they drive to Dalton, tries not to blush too hard.

He shouldn’t be surprised, really, when they run into both Logan and Derek in the hall. Sebastian’s got an arm around his waist, is laughing into his shoulder when Julian stops suddenly.

“…hey,” Julian says, looking up at them, “Um. Guys, this is Sebastian. My...boyfriend.”

Derek nods at him, and Logan gives him a once-over.

“S, this is Derek and Logan.”

“Oh,” Sebastian grins, “You’re Derek? Apparently we’d get along. J says we’re both massive man-whores.”

“I did _not_ say that,” Julian elbows him, turns to Derek, “I didn’t say that.”

Derek just laughs, “Nice to meet you, man.”

“And you’re Logan,” Sebastian raises an eyebrow, looks Logan up and down, “Hm.”

Logan looks a little taken aback, glances questioningly over at Julian.

“ _Be nice_ ,” Julian hisses, leaning into Sebastian’s chest. The other boy just laughs, slides his hand under Julian’s shirt to rub at his hip.

“Alright, we’ll let you get some rest,” Derek says, grabbing Logan by the elbow, “I’m sure you’re tired, Sebastian.”

“Not _too_ tired,” Sebastian positively _leers_ at Julian, slides his hand down to cup at his ass.

“Okay, you guys met him, see you tomorrow,” Julian pushes him into his bedroom, hears Derek’s laugh as the door closes.


	8. shades of red, eyes of green

“You know, kitten, you really should’ve expected this.”

Julian groans, falls back onto his bed and buries his face in a pillow.

“I mean, I wasn’t a huge fan even before we met. What kind of idiot overlooks _Julian Larson_ for three years?”

“That doesn’t mean you have to antagonize him like that.”

“He started it!”

“That’s what I don’t get,” Julian lowers the pillow, frowns over at Sebastian, “Why does _he_ hate _you_? He only just met you!”

Sebastian shrugs, sits on the corner of the bed and rests a hand against Julian’s thigh.

“Maybe he’s just realizing what he missed out on. Maybe he’s jealous that I snagged the most beautiful guy in the world.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Big word. Studying for the SAT’s, are we?”

Julian tosses the pillow Sebastian’s way, rolling his eyes when his boyfriend just snatches it out of the air and grins at him.

“Could you at least _pretend_ to be nice?” Julian begs, “For me?”

Sebastian sighs, “Fine. But only for you.”

“Good,” Julian says, quickly averting his eyes, “Because I might have promised Derek we could all make it through dinner tonight.”

“I have to sit with him for a whole _dinner_?”

“You said you’d be nice.”

“Ugh. God, fine.”

He doesn’t complain as Julian picks out his outfit for the night, even smirks a little when he notices Julian select a matching shirt for himself. He is rather distracting as they get ready, keeps leaning over to kiss Julian as he fixes his hair.

Logan’s complaints, however, start the moment he realizes Sebastian’s joining them.

“Oh,” he says, a faint grimace on his face, “Smith. Forgot you were still here.”

“Smythe,” Sebastian corrects a little too cheerfully, “I’m not sure how you forgot, Julian’s hardly been quiet the last two nights…”

Julian elbows him harshly in the side, shoots him a glare. Derek, for his part, just looks mildly amused, leads them all to the parking lot and out to his car.

Julian’s half-tempted to call shotgun, almost wants to see Sebastian and Logan’s reactions if they were forced to sit next to each other. Instead, he pushes Sebastian in the backseat, quickly follows him before they can find something else to argue about.

Thankfully, Derek keeps up a steady stream of conversation on the drive to the restaurant. He’d had some kind of altercation with one of the day students during practice that afternoon, spends the majority of the time ranting about how useless the kid is on the field. In fact, Logan and Sebastian don’t interact with each other at all until they’re seated in the booth.

“So, Smith…”

“Smythe.”

“Whatever,” Logan leans on one elbow, gives Sebastian a sickly-sweet smile, “Kinda weird that your family let you just fly to another country to visit a boy, isn’t it? Were they dying to get rid of you, or something?”

“Oh no, not at all,” Sebastian smiles back with just as much venom, manages to take Julian’s hand without breaking eye contact with Logan, “In fact they were a little sad I’d be missing my father’s birthday. But they heard what happened to Julian, with the whole stalker thing. And they like him almost as much as I do. They understood.”

He turns to grin at Julian, intertwines their fingers and squeezes. Logan looks a little thrown.

“…you’ve met his family?” He asks Julian, a slight frown on his face.

“Just his little brother,” Julian says, “I mean, his mom, briefly, but we didn’t actually _talk_.”

“Alphonse _worships_ him, though,” Sebastian uses his free hand to brush Julian’s hair off his forehead, smiling the whole while, “Begged him for his autograph and everything. He thinks it’s so cool that I’m dating _Julian Larson_.”

“Bet they’re happy you snagged someone so rich too, aren’t they?”

Sebastian pretends to think about that, frowns a little.

“You know,” he says, turning back to Logan, “I think we might be richer? I’m not totally sure, it’s not like I’ve asked J here what his net worth is, or anything. But both of my parents came from pretty wealthy families. And we _do_ own a couple vineyards in Bordeaux. One in Provence. Actually, I’m pretty sure the stuff you’re drinking is from one of ours.”

He grabs the bottle, spins it around so Logan can read the logo emblazoned across the neck.

The blonde seems to have no retort for that, just leans back in his seat and glares at Sebastian for the rest of dinner.

Sebastian pays him little attention from then on, turns his gaze on Julian instead. It’s almost nauseating, Julian knows, the way Sebastian keeps feeding him bites off his own fork and pouring his drinks for him. When he’s not busy feeding Julian, he keeps their hands clasped together on top of the table, well within Logan’s line of sight.

Julian _should_ be embarrassed about this, should push Sebastian off and tell him to stop being ridiculous.

But he also really, _really_ likes the affection, the tiny kisses Sebastian keeps pressing to his cheek.

Some dark part of him might also like that Logan’s seeing all this; likes that the boy who never noticed him is being forced to watch someone fawn over Julian like this. Is forced to see that _someone_ sees something good there, that someone _wants him_.

Logan doesn’t pick another fight for the rest of dinner. He sits silent in the car on the way home, and Julian almost starts to believe that Logan’s given up on antagonizing him.

That is, until they arrive back to Dalton. Julian had been sitting behind Derek in the car, steps out and rolls his eyes at the little smirk his friend sends him. When he looks up, he sees Sebastian and Logan standing very close, the blond’s lips moving as he whispers what _looks_ like a threat.

Sebastian doesn’t have much of a reaction — just pulls away from Logan with a small smile and walks around the car to offer Julian his arm.

“What did he say to you?”

“Don’t worry, kitten,” Sebastian says, still smiling, “I can handle blondie.”


	9. I know what I came to do and that ain't gonna change.

“So, Smythe, when are you going back to Germany?”

Logan’s smile is quite obviously fake, but Sebastian doesn’t seem phased.

“France, actually,” he says, with all the politeness he can muster, “My flight’s on Sunday. But I think I might be coming back next semester.”

Julian looks up from where he has his head resting on Sebastian’s folded legs, lifts his sunglasses a little.

“Really?” He asks, a faint smile on his face, “You decided, then?”

“Maybe. My dad’s already been talking with the administration,” Sebastian smiles at him, one hand idly twisting through Julian’s hair, “Apparently he thinks you’ll be a good influence on me.”

Julian laughs, just as Derek makes a snide comment about how _anyone_ could consider _Julian Larson_ a good influence.

Logan doesn’t look amused, though, is still half-glaring Sebastian’s way.

“Well I hate to tell you,” he says, “But all the rooms in Stuart are full. I’m sure Windsor would love to have you, though.”

He gives Sebastian little half-smile, voice sickly-sweet.

Sebastian doesn’t look remotely fazed, “Julian has a single. I’m sure he could clear space in his closet.”

“Have you _seen_ how many clothes I own?” Julian raises an eyebrow, “You can have a drawer. One. You’re going to have to find some hobbies, too, so you don’t waste away with boredom when I have to leave to film.”

“I was thinking of joining the Warblers, actually,” Sebastian says.

Logan _growls_ as he pushes himself off the ground, one foot knocking against Sebastian’s ankle as he stomps away.

“You know,” Sebastian tilts his head, watches Logan’s angry exit, “I think he’s starting to like me.”

Derek snorts, “Dude, what did you even _do_ to him? I’ve never seen him dislike a person this quickly.”

“Fuck if I know.”

Sebastian scratches lightly at Julian’s skull, drawing a frankly embarrassing noise from Julian’s mouth.

“Did you just _purr_?” Derek asks, looking amused, “Honestly, Julian, you can only take this whole cat metaphor so far.”

“I think it’s cute,” Sebastian says. He leans down, presses a soft kiss to the tip of Julian’s nose.

Derek audibly gags, “God, you two are disgusting. No wonder Logan can’t stand being around you.”

Sebastian laughs.

Julian, though, is quiet — it shouldn’t bother him, the way Logan tends to leave a room whenever he walks in. He knows it’s probably just due to this weird feud between Logan and Sebastian, but he can’t stand the idea of Logan actually disliking him. They are  _friends_ , after all.

“Hey,” Sebastian’s hand slides through his hair again, “Look, I’ll talk to him if you want.”

“What, Logan?”

“Yeah,” he smiles, “I know it was kind of important to you that your friends like me. I’ve already conned Seigerson over here into tolerating me, I can work on Logan next.”

“Don’t think you can get him to like you by nearly beating him at lacrosse like you did with me,” Derek says, grinning.

“I’ll figure something out,” Sebastian says, “I’ve got a couple days, after all.”

 


	10. nobody can drag me down

In hindsight, expecting Sebastian and Logan to harbor anything other than negative feelings for each other may have been an idiotic thought.

They’re a little too alike — both prone to arguing, incapable of admitting mistakes. Both with a little bit of a flair for the dramatic and a tendency for rash decisions.

Still, Julian can’t believe Sebastian could think, even for a second, that _this_ was a good idea.

“Acapella is so _cheesy_ , though,” Sebastian had complained when Julian dragged him out to the quad for the Warbler’s performance.

“I know, but Logan’s my friend, and he has a solo. We’re being supportive.”

“Fine. But I’m not gonna pretend to enjoy it.”

It’s not the only Warblers performance of the weekend - the Brightman twins had done a very energetic performance of _Fireflies_ yesterday, and Julian’s pretty sure there’ve been pop-up performances all over campus.

It is, though, the only performance he’s interested in catching. Logan _is_ his friend, and besides, he likes hearing him sing.

Logan has a familiar smirk on his face when he starts singing, struts to the front of the group confidently.

 

_I've got fire for a heart_

_I'm not scared of the dark_

_You've never seen it look so easy_

_I got a river for a soul_

_And baby you're a boat_

_Baby, you're my only reason_

 

“Oh,” Sebastian says, softly, “I like this song.”

Julian elbows him, tries to get him to shut up so he can listen. Logan’s definitely showing off with this performance, voice taking on a sultry growl that makes Julian shiver a little.

 _Stop it, you idiot_ , he tells himself, _You have a boyfriend_.

Still, he can’t help but stare as Logan performs.

 

_If I didn't have you, there would be nothing left_

_The shell of a man that could never be his best_

_If I didn't have you, I'd never see the sun_

_You taught me how to be someone, yeah_

 

_All my life_

_You stood by me_

_When no one else was ever behind me_

_All these lights_

_They can't blind me_

_With your love, nobody can drag me down_

 

Logan looks to the side a little, shoots a rather obvious wink at none other than Kurt Hummel.

Despite everything, despite Sebastian actually making him _happy_ , Julian feels momentarily ill.

He feels his smile waver on his face, the way his breath hitches a little bit. Sebastian shoots him a concerned look.

“…Julian?”

 

_Nobody, nobody_

_Nobody can drag me down_

_Nobody, nobody_

_Nobody can drag me down_

 

He should see it happening in time to stop it. He _should_.

Sebastian’s watching him carefully, tracking his eyes to the blonde singing, following _his_ gaze to the smaller boy swaying in the background. His hand tightens momentarily on Julian’s arm, and then he’s letting go, strutting forward and opening his mouth.

 

_I got a fire for a heart_

_I'm not scared of the dark_

_You've never seen it look so easy_

_I got a river for a soul_

_And baby you're a boat_

_Baby, you're my only reason_

 

Logan’s face twists in anger when Sebastian strides forward, taking over the next verse. It looks almost like a challenge, the way he smirks at Logan and sidles up beside him, mirroring his dance moves.

Julian knows Logan probably wants nothing more than to punch Sebastian as hard as he can right now. But Logan’s a _performer_ , and he’d never waste the opportunity to show up someone else on the stage. He skulks forward, takes over the next part of the song, forces Sebastian to echo him.

 

_If I didn't have you there would be nothing left (nothing left)_

_The shell of a man who could never be his best (be his best)_

_If I didn't have you, I'd never see the sun (see the sun)_

_You taught me how to be someone_

_Yeah_

 

“What the _fuck_ is your boyfriend doing?” Derek asks, stalking up to Julian and grabbing his arm, “Is he _insane?_ ”

Julian just winces, “I…I don’t know. I had no clue he would pull something like this, I swear.”

“Well _stop him_!”

“I think it’s a little late for that.”

 

_All my life_

_You stood by me_

_When no one else was ever behind me_

_All these lights_

_They can't blind me_

_With your love nobody can drag me down_

 

The two singers are circling each other, practically spitting lyrics in each others’ face. The rest of the Warblers look confused, the background vocals faltering a little as they try to understand what the hell is going on.

By the end of the song, Logan is red-faced and _furious_ , while Sebastian’s just smirking like he’s won. He saunters off before Logan can do anything, makes his way back to Julian.

“What the _hell_ was that?!” Julian asks, horrified, “S, you just _humiliated_ him!”

“Oh relax, kitten, it was just fun,” Sebastian says, taking Julian’s arm, “Besides, it’s not like they had a large audience anyway.

“His _father_ is here,” Derek says, beside them, “And you just totally stole his thunder.”

“Please, I made that song better. It’s boring as a solo. A duet was just what he needed to spice things up.”

“Seb…” Julian starts, but cuts himself off when Logan storms their way, positively _seething_.

“What the hell was that, Smythe?!”

Sebastian turns to face him, that same smirk on his face.

“Just a little competition, Wright. Thought you’d be able to handle it.”

Julian may not have seen Sebastian’s take-over of Logan’s solo coming, but he _does_ see the punch. He pushes himself in front of Sebastian, holds his own hands up against Logan’s rage.

“Lo, just calm down, alright? It still sounded great.”

“Get out of my way, Julian.”

“Logan…”

“I said get out of my way!” Logan yells, shoving at him, “I want to punch this smug bastard right in his _teeth_.”

Sebastian’s smirk vanishes the moment Logan touches Julian.

“Get your hands off him, Wright.”

“Stop letting your boyfriend fight your battles, _Smythe_.”

“Both of you _stop it!_ ” Julian keeps himself firmly wedged between them, one hand on each of their chests, “ _Please_ just stop it.”

Logan’s hand darts up, long fingers wrapping around Julian’s wrist. It _hurts_ , is easily enough pressure that Julian’ll have bruises tomorrow.

“I want him _gone_ ,” Logan hisses, breath warm on Julian’s face, “You hear me? I want this asshole out of Stuart, _now_.”

“I told you not to _touch_ him!”

Sebastian moves forward, but Derek moves too — he stands solidly in front of Logan, gives Julian a displeased and very stern look.

“Get him out of here, Julian. Now.”


	11. close to giving up

“Are you still mad at me, kitten?”

Julian doesn’t say anything. His eyes are fixed on the road ahead of them, his hands clenched a little too tightly on the steering wheel.

“So that’s a yes, then?”

He reaches over, turns up the volume on the radio.

“Julian, I said I’m sorry.”

When Julian _still_ doesn’t respond, Sebastian sighs.

“Look, I didn’t know that performance was such a big deal to him, alright? Besides, you said _he_ pulls shit like that all the time.”

“God, Seb,” Julian bursts out, “That’s not the point! You _deliberately_ antagonized him. You _wanted_ him to look bad.”

“Well excuse me for not being a huge fan of the guy my boyfriend is in love with.”

The whole car jerks as Julian makes a rapid lane change. He steers off the highway, pulls onto the side of the road and fixes Sebastian with a steely glare.

“I told you,” he says, through gritted teeth, “Back in _Paris_ , I told you. You _knew_ I had feelings for him.”

“That doesn’t mean I fucking like it, Julian! Do you think I _want_ to see you staring at some other guy while I’m right beside you?”

“He was _singing_ , Seb! You’re kind of _supposed_ to watch people while they’re performing.”

“Not the way you were watching him.”

Julian just scoffs, “So what, that’s what that was all about? You had to steal the spotlight so I’d look at you, instead?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“That’s not…” Julian breaks eye contact, “That isn’t _fair,_ Seb. I’m trying, okay?”

“Well so am I.”

Julian sighs and scrubs a hand across his face.

“So…” he says, after a long silence, “Where does this leave us, then?”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian’s voice is quiet, his face carefully blank, “Do you have any idea how much it sucks being in a relationship with a guy who loves someone else?”

“Seb,” Julian turns in his seat and reaches forward, taking Sebastian’s hand, “I do…you’re still…”

“Let’s face it, Julian, if he changed his mind right now you’d pick him in a heartbeat.”

Julian can feel the tell-tale sign of tears prickling behind his eyes, tries his best to stave them off.

“That’s not true,” he says, voice a little shaky, “I don’t… _you_ make me happy.”

“Is that enough?”

“Why can’t it be?”

Sebastian pulls his hand from Julian’s, shifts a little further away in his seat.

“I don’t know, J, just…take me to the airport, alright? I’m gonna miss my flight.”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“I don’t _know_ , Julian.”

He’s staring out the window, his body language clearly screaming at Julian to stay away. Julian wipes at his eyes, pulls back onto the highway, and makes the drive to the airport.

When he pulls the car up to the curb, Sebastian hesitates.

“Look, kitten,” he says softly, “Just give me a day or two, alright? I need to think about things.”

Julian nods, still not meeting his eyes. He doesn’t fully trust himself to not _cry_ right now, and that’s the absolute last thing he needs.

“J,” Sebastian says again. He leans forward, brushes his fingers across Julian’s cheek, “Can I kiss you?”

Julian’s silent, but he tilts his head, lets Sebastian press their lips softly together. He runs a hand through Julian’s hair, pulls back and tries for a smile.

“I do love you,” he says, softly, “It’s important you know that.”

He pulls away, grabs his bag and exits the car in one fluid motion. The door slams shut before Julian can work up a response and he just watches, miserably, as Sebastian disappears into the airport.

 _Don’t cry_ , he tells himself as he pulls back onto the highway, _Don’t fucking cry, everyone will know if you come back crying._

He tries not to think about it on the drive back to Stuart, blasts the radio on focuses on _that_ instead of how much he hurts right now.

Of fucking _course_ Logan would be in the front room when Julian walks in.

He looks up at the sound of the door opening, scowls a little when he sees Julian.

“He better be gone,” he says, setting his phone down, “If you think I’m gonna let him—“

“He’s gone,” Julian says shortly, shoving past him to get to the stairs. But Logan’s too quick for him, wraps a hand around Julian’s wrist — right at the bruises he’d left, making Julian hiss — and stops him.

“Hey,” he says, a little softer. His eyes scan Julian’s face, a frown at his lips, “Jules, are you okay?”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Julian jerks his hand out of Logan’s grasp, makes for the stairs again.

“Julian—“

“I said I’m _fine_ , Logan, fuck off.”

He can hear Logan calling after him as he storms up the stairs, but he ignores it.

Once he’s locked in his room, safe from prying eyes and ears, he finally lets himself cry.


	12. my heart is soft, my past is rough

The knock on his door is unsurprising.

Logan’s been trying all day, tapping at Julian’s door and asking him if he wants coffee, or food, or to hear about how Derek had nearly gotten punched for hitting on one of the mothers at Parent’s Night.

Julian had remained silent every time. He keeps staring at his phone, hoping for a call or a text or a fucking _tweet_ from his maybe-maybe-not-still-boyfriend.

“Jules,” Logan calls out, sounding a little more exasperated than his earlier attempts, “You know they give Prefects master keys, right? If you don’t open the door I’m coming in anyway.”

He calls Logan’s bluff. It’s not that he doesn’t _believe_ him — he’s seen the master key before, when one of the freshman didn’t show up to class and Logan had been sent to check up on him, only to find a boy too sick to get out of bed — it’s just that he’s _tired_ , and has no desire to pull himself up and let Logan inside.

There’s a brief rattle at the door before it swings open and Logan steps inside.

“You’re seriously just gonna lock yourself in here and feel sorry for yourself?” He asks, letting the door swing shut behind him.

“You don’t have dibs on being the mopey one.”

Logan eyes him critically, “Did you guys break up?”

“…I don’t know yet.”

“You don’t know? It’s usually pretty clear.”

“He said he has to think about it.”

“Wait, hang on,” Logan holds a hand up and frowns, “ _He’s_ the one that wants to break up with _you_?”

“Don’t sound so surprised.”

“It _is_ surprising,” Logan moves forward, pulls out Julian’s desk chair and sits beside the bed, “He’s the one that made a total ass of himself, and _he’s_ breaking up with _you_?”

“He was trying to show off. Get my attention, y’know?” Julian sighs, “Apparently I’m kind of a shit boyfriend.”

“You’re still _Julian Larson_ ,” Logan says, sounding a little flummoxed, “He realizes he can’t really do any better, right?”

Julian wants to laugh at that. Instead, he just curls up on his side, pulls the blankets up to his chin. Logan’s watching him a little worriedly.

“Look,” he says, “Forget about him for a little while okay? Come to dinner with us. We’ll get your mind off it.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Julian—“

“I just wanna be alone right now.”

“…okay,” Logan nods and stands, still staring down at Julian with concern, “But we’re here, alright? If you wanna talk, or drink, or just be around other people. We’re here.”

He lets himself out, and Julian curls in on himself again, stares down at his still-silent phone.

After an hour or so, the self-loathing gets to be too much even for him, and he drags himself out of bed. There’s a stack of scripts on his desk he’s been meaning to go over, so he sets to work, reading through them and sorting them into piles across his room. Once that’s done, he starts on his lit essay, does his best to focus on the overlying themes in _Great Expectations_.

Still, he jumps for his phone the moment it rings, feels his heart pick up in pace when Sebastian’s name fills his screen.

“…hello?”

“Hey,” Sebastian’s voice is light, a stark contrast from how terrified Julian is right now, “You’ll never believe who I just got off the phone with.”

Before Julian can muster up a guess, Sebastian continues.

“Logan fucking Wright.”

Julian sets down his book, shoves his schoolwork aside.

“He…Logan _called_ you?”

“He did. Yelled a little, told me I’m nowhere near good enough for you. Said I’m an ass. You know, normal stuff.”

“Shit, Seb, I’m so…” Julian sighs, rubs at his temple, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“But _then_ ,” Sebastian interrupts, “He told me you seemed happier, when you came back from Paris. That he’s not sure he and Derek would’ve handled the stalker thing as quickly as I did. That apparently _someone_ ’s been moping and miserable without me.”

“I’m not _moping_ ,” Julian protests, but it sounds hollow even to him, “I was just…sad.”

“Me too.”

“ _You’re_ the one who was all vague about things.”

“…I don’t want to break up,” Sebastian says, “I…god, Julian, I don’t want to lose this. I don’t want to lose _you_.”

“You don’t have to,” Julian says, “Look this whole…the Logan thing? That’s never gonna happen. Ever. I’m not gonna lie to you and say I don’t still have feelings for him because I _do_ …but I have feelings for you, too.”

“You promise?”

“You really think I’d be moping over a break-up if I didn’t have feelings?”

“So you _were_ moping.”

Julian actually laughs, “Maybe a little. I don’t like getting dumped, you know.”

“Well I won’t be dumping you anytime soon. I promise.”

“I still can’t believe Logan called you.”

“He’s more threatening over the phone, somehow? It was this weird combination of protective older brother and like…mob boss. Hate to tell you, but I don’t think he and I are ever gonna be friends.”

“Did he scare you off from coming to Dalton next year?”

“Surprisingly, no,” Sebastian says, “I like the campus. Your French teacher can actually _speak French_ , do you know how hard that is to find at an American high school? Besides, you guys have a crazy good alumni network, and I’d _really_ like to get into Yale. Plus there’s this really cute boy there…”

“I’m a little more than just _cute_ , I think.”

“Beautiful. Stunning. Breathtaking.”

“That’s better.”

Sebastian laughs, “Look um…what are you doing this summer?”

“Filming Something Damaged in June. Starting another movie in mid-August. I have most of July free, I think. Why?”

“Come back to Paris. It’s not as nice in summer as it is during Christmas, but I’m sure I’ll find a way to entertain you. We can tour the family vineyards. When it gets too hot I can just keep you in my bed…”

“…yeah,” Julian breathes, smiling softly, “That sounds amazing. I’ll tell Carmen to block off my schedule.”

“Perfect. And J?”

“Yeah?”

“Go thank Wright for me, would you?”


	13. said I'll always be your friend

“Long distance relationships _suck_ ,” Julian whines one day, throwing himself across Logan’s bed.

“At least you’re _in_ a relationship,” Logan says, rolling his eyes.

“Seriously,” Derek chimes in, “You’re not allowed to complain when Logan and I are both depressingly single.”

“I’m still gonna,” Julian says, “Apparently one of his dad’s co-workers hit on him yesterday. And _I_ can’t go punch the guy.”

“Careful, Jules, jealousy’s not a good look on you.”

“ _Everything_ is a good look on me.”

“How about modesty?” Derek asks with a grin, “Does being humble look good on you, too?”

Julian raises his hand, casually lifts his middle finger Derek’s way.

“How is Sebastian, anyway?” Logan asks, and the other two turn to him in surprise.

“You’re seriously asking that?” Julian says, “You _hate_ him.”

“Yeah, but I like you. I’m trying to be supportive. Don’t make it too hard for me, princess.”

Julian smiles a little, “He’s…he’s good. I think I’m gonna visit him in Paris this summer. Between movies, you know.”

“But you’re still coming to the Hamptons?” Derek asks, frowning a little, “It’s kind of our tradition.”

“Of course I am. I can do both. Besides, I’ve been practicing tennis. I think I can crush Logan this year.”

“Sure you can,” Logan says with smirk, “Same way D’s gonna get through the summer without a girl throwing a drink in his face.”

“Hey!”

“…there’s something else,” Julian says, a little nervously, “He um…he submitted his Dalton application last week. It just got approved.”

Logan’s smile fades, “Which means they’re sending his transcript to the prefects.”

“Please?”

“Jules…” Logan sighs, “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for the two of us to be in the same house.”

“He’d _hate_ Windsor, Lo. Hanover…it’d be _okay_ , but I really think he’d fit in better here.”

“We’ll kill each other. You know that, right?”

“I won’t try to force you guys to be friends again,” Julian says, “You guys don’t have to hang out, or anything. I’ll tell him not to join the Warblers. His schedule’s gonna be different, the French school system organizes their years differently. He can room with me…”

“There’s a strict no-rooming-with-significant-others rule, you know that.”

Julian sticks his lower lip out, “Please? Isn’t one of the benefits of being best friends with the prefect bending the rules a little?”

He sighs, “I…I’ll look at his file, alright? He still has to meet our GPA standards. The extracurricular quota, too. Which _you_ are failing at, might I remind you.”

“I do drama club!”

“Which you only show up to about a quarter of the time.”

“I’m the only person in this house with an actual _job_ , Logan. I don’t have _time_ for high school groups.”

“Well _he_ better. You get a pass for not being here for most of the year.”

“Well I’ll talk to him,” Julian promises, “About everything. He won’t be interrupting anymore of your solos, I promise.”

“If he does, I’m punching him. Just to be clear.”

“I won’t hold him back,” Derek adds, “ _I_ almost punched him last time.”

“I said I’ll talk to him.”

Julian’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and he smiles a little at the picture that pops up on his screen — him and Sebastian pressed close, grinning in front of the Eiffel Tower.

“Now,” he says, standing, “I’ll talk to him now. See you guys for dinner?”

He runs off, and Logan just rolls his eyes.

“If I kill him, you’ll be my alibi, right?”

Derek laughs, “Just _try_ , alright? He makes Jules happy.”

“Well he could’ve picked someone a _little_ less insufferable.”

“Insufferable seems to be his type.”

“You don’t like him, do you?”

Derek shrugs, “He did a few dumb things. He’s kind of a dick. But so are we. Besides, I’d love to get him on the lacrosse team.”

“Fine,” Logan sighs, “He can stay here, I guess. I’m not spending any more time with him than I have to, though.”

“Well good, I’m sure they’ll both be happy.”

“I’m not doing this for him, just to be clear,” Logan clarifies, “It’s for Julian.”

"Of course. For Jules."


	14. loving you is easy

_“You have no idea what I’m going through, Matt!” Grant steps closer, red-faced, “No_ clue _. Don’t you dare try to pretend you’re with me on this, because you don’t know a goddamn thing_.”

_He shoves Matthew away and storms off, wiping angry tears from his face._

 

“And…cut! Nice job, Larson. Sawyer, come here for a second, I need to go over these changes for the next scene.”

Julian grins and returns the high-five Clark gives him as they step off set.

“Sorry I kinda spit at you, there,” he says, laughing.

“Don’t worry about it, we can count it as payback for the time I slapped you and my watch caught on your hair.”

They split ways, Clark to talk to their director, Julian to find a quiet place to nap before his next scene.

“Hey, J?”

Julian looks to the side, sees Cameron waving him over, his hand firmly on the shoulder of a _very_ familiar brunette.

“Holy shit,” Julian changes direction abruptly, veers their way and grabs Sebastian’s arm, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“So you do know him?” Cameron asks, raising an eyebrow at the boy beside him, “You know you’re supposed to have guests cleared beforehand, right?”

Sebastian looks suitably embarrassed, gives Julian a sheepish smile.

“I wanted to surprise you,” he says, “I wasn’t even thinking about security or anything.”

“He’s fine, Cam,” Julian says, pulling Sebastian away, “Thanks, though.”

Sebastian’s still apologizing as Julian drags him towards the trailers.

“I should’ve called beforehand,” he says, “I just…I don’t know, I thought it’d be romantic or something? I told you I’m not good at this whole relationship thing.”

“Shut up.”

“It was _dumb_ , first I piss off your friends then I just show up at your job? I swear I’m gonna buy like, _Relationships for Dummies_.”

“I said _shut up_ ,” Julian says, pushing Sebastian up against his trailer and kissing him soundly. Sebastian makes a soft noise of surprise, eventually settles his arms around Julian’s waist and kisses back.

“…so you’re not mad at me?”

“Not at _all_ ,” Julian kisses him again, slides one hand to the back of Sebastian’s neck, “God, I missed you.”

“Well I missed you too, kitten.”

Julian finally takes a step back, still grinning, “I can’t believe you’re _here_.”

“Well I didn’t want to wait until your trip to Paris to see you,” Sebastian says, “I know you’re going to the Hamptons with your friends next week, so I figured now was the best time.”

“Now’s perfect,” Julian ushers him into the trailer, pushes him onto the nearest flat surface and crawls into his lap, “But you’re talking _way_ too much.”

By the time they send someone to track Julian down, he looks completely debauched. His hair is a mess, his clothes rumpled. There are faint traces of burgeoning love bites across his neck, his lips swollen from the kissing.

Cameron’s already seen Sebastian, so there’s really no point hiding it at this point.

Julian and Sebastian return to set hand-in-hand, to more than a couple of raised eyebrows and questioning looks. He ignores it all, deposits Sebastian in his own chair and skips off to his first mark.

“Looks like someone had fun,” Patrick says, reaching over to straighten Julian’s collar, “New boyfriend?”

“Yep,” Julian says simply, “And I’d really like to get back to him, so try not to mess up too much, will you?”

“You got it, boss.”


	15. look him in the eyes

Sebastian’s visit to Los Angeles is a little bit of a whirlwind.

Julian’s schedule is jam-packed, so he winds up following him to set and interviews and endless photoshoots. He seems a little amused by the whole thing, laughs as Julian gets attacked with powder in the make-up chair or told to be _a little more sultry in the face, please_.

“No offense,” he says, in one of the few stretches of time they have to just _relax_ in Julian’s living room, “But your life seems exhausting. Is it like this all the time?”

“Basically,” Julian says, yawning a little and cuddling closer, “It’s why school is kinda nice, you know? I get a little bit of a break.”

“I definitely see why you need it.”

“Sorry I wasn’t around to hang out more.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sebastian says, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend, “I still got to see you. That’s all I wanted.”

Julian tilts his head up, smiling when Sebastian looks down at him.

“You’re the nicest boyfriend I’ve ever had, you know that?”

“Oh? Have you had many boyfriends?”

“No, but you’re still the nicest.”

Sebastian laughs, leans down and kisses him softly, “Well you’re the hottest boyfriend I’ve ever had. By far.”

“I better be.”

“You are. Promise.”

He kisses Julian again, then pulls back, looking thoughtful.

“Oh god, what is it now?”

“Nothing, it’s just…people are talking about us, you know? One of the extras from your set the other day tweeted something about _Julian Larson having a boyfriend_ , and then someone else got a picture of holding hands outside that restaurant the other day…”

Julian sits back, “Does that bother you?”

“No. Of course not. I just thought maybe it’d bother you. I’ve been out since I was twelve, but you…”

“I told my mom,” Julian says, “We had lunch the day I came back and…I told her. She’s kind of the only person I really care about knowing, so whatever else happens is fine.”

He leans in to kiss Sebastian again, groans when his boyfriend stops him with a finger on his lips.

“I kinda need more than that,” he says, “Like, are we telling people? Can I tell my friends back home that Julian Larson is my boyfriend?”

“I don’t know. If you want, I guess? Do we have to overthink this?”

“Not to inflate your ego, J, but you’re kind of a big deal. People are already talking. I just want to know what I’m supposed to tell them.”

Julian sighs, “I don’t know. My mom wanted to draft this big coming-out statement, thing. But I…I just want it to be easy, you know?”

“Okay,” Sebastian frowns, considering, “How about…friends and family can know. But if anyone else asks, we ignore it. We shrug it off or refuse to comment or pretend we didn’t hear. People will figure it out, but it keeps it from turning into a total circus. For now, at least.”

“Are you okay with that?”

“I’m okay with anything that lets me keep you.”

He brushes his lips across Julian’s temple, keeps his arms firmly around the other boy’s waist.

“So…you told your mom.”

“Don’t worry, she’s in Germany. You don’t have to meet her."

“Oh thank _god_.”


	16. make me drool

“Oh my _god_ ,” Logan says, pulling a face, “You’re taking selfies for him, aren’t you?”

Julian scowls, flips him off and angles his phone a little more.

“Derek,” Logan calls, once the boy’s surfaced from his tenth lap around the pool, “Look at princess here sending shirtless pics to his boyfriend.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Julian says, “We’re on a twenty-seven day Snapchat streak and I’m in it to win it.”

“You gotta get an ass pic, then!” Derek heaves himself out of the pool, towels his hands off and takes Julian’s phone, “Go on then, roll over.”

Logan groans, but Julian just laughs. He flips onto his stomach obligingly, bites at his lower lip and gives the camera his best come-hither face.

“Nice,” Derek looks over the photo, “If I were even a little gay I’d totally hit it.”

“I feel like I should be offended,” Logan says.

“Dude _please_ , if you and I hooked up we’d just argue over who got to top the whole time.”

“Um, me. It’d be me.”

“You see what I mean?” Derek rolls his eyes, hands Julian his phone back, “I’ll pay for your dinner if your only caption is the peach emoji.”

Julian grins, “I woulda done it for nothing, but thanks. Think I’ll get steak tonight.”

“With every appetizer they have and the most expensive wine they’ll give you, I know. Now no more distractions from either of you, I have a very specific workout going on here and I’m only halfway through.”

He dives back into the pool, abandoning Logan and Julian in their lounge chairs.

Julian shoots off his Snapchat — complete with the required peach emoji — and sets his phone down, looking up at Logan a little apologetically.

“Sorry,” he says softly, “I know you don’t like him. I was trying not to be obvious.”

Logan gives him a long-suffering look, “Just because I don’t like the guy doesn’t mean you have to hide your relationship. I think he’s an asshole, but I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Well I am. Thanks.”

“It’s weird, you know.”

“What, me being happy?”

“Kinda,” Logan admits, “I mean, I was pretty sure I’d seen you happy, before. But this is different. Sometimes I just think…”

He trails off, looking a little hurt.

“Think what?”

“…that you’re acting, even around us,” Logan says, “That…I don’t know. Sometimes it’s like I don’t actually know you, you pretend so much.”

Julian would be offended, if it weren’t true. He looks down at his hands, thinks over his words carefully.

“I don’t pretend _all_ the time,” he says, slowly, “I just…I’m not great at talking about feelings, y’know? I don’t like bothering you guys with that stuff. It’s not like I’ve been miserable our entire friendship, I just…I don’t know. I don’t want you guys to worry about my shit.”

“We’re _friends_ ,” Logan argues, “That’s our _job_.”

“…I’ll work on it, then.”

“You better,” the blonde leans back in his chair, “Especially if it has to do with _him_. If he hurts you at all? I’d love an excuse to beat the shit out of him.”

“I can take care of myself, Logan.”

“I’m _telling_ you, you don’t have to. You have us.”

“Well. Thanks. Hopefully he won’t.”

“He _better_ not,” Logan says a little aggressively, “D and I could _destroy_ him.”

Julian laughs, “You know I’d pay to see that, I’m pretty sure.”

His phone buzzes beside him, and he scoops it up, nearly chokes at the picture Sebastian sent in response. Logan raises an eyebrow, looking mildly amused.

“You need to go inside for phone sex?”

“I…”

“Go,” Logan stands, walks over to the side of the pool and stretches, “I’m gonna see if I can out-swim this loser.”

“Good luck.”

“Don't need it. Go be gross somewhere else.”


	17. you've got a smiling face

Julian doesn’t usually sleep, on his plane trips. There’s always a script to study, source material to read over, homework to catch up on. But he’s landing in Paris early in the morning, and he just _knows_ Sebastian has a full day planned. So he pulls on headphones as soon as they hit altitude, selects one of his movie score playlists and reclines as much as he can.

He’s surprisingly well-rested when he finally disembarks the plane. Sebastian’s waiting for him at baggage claim, beams and opens his arms for Julian to run into.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he murmurs, holding Julian tightly, “I forgot you even _smell_ good.”

“God, don’t even,” Julian laughs a little, leans up to peck him on the lips, “I smell like plane food. _You_ however, smell like coffee.”

“Oh, well that’s because I _have_ coffee,” Sebastian reaches behind him, picks up two paper cups from a nearby bench and hands it over, “Extra sugar, extra cream.”

“You’re my favorite.”

“I better be.”

Julian sips at the coffee, smiles happily at the sweet taste. He leans against Sebastian to wait for his bag, makes the other boy carry it to the car.

“So,” he says, settling into his seat, “What crazy plans do you have for us today?”

“Figured you’d want to relax for now, actually,” Sebastian says, “My parents are out of town, so the place is pretty quiet. I thought we could just chill, you know? Order food, catch up.”

“Fuck?”

“Well, I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”

They look over at each other, break off into light laughter. Sebastian reaches across the seat and takes Julian’s hand, bringing it up to his face and lightly kissing the knuckles.

“I missed you,” he says softly, “A lot. I can’t wait until we’re in the same city for good.”

“Same house, actually,” Julian says, “I talked to Logan. He approved your application for Stuart.”

“Are you serious? _Wright_ actually approved it?”

“I mean…I kinda begged him to, a little. We’re in different rooms though. Apparently it’s _policy_ ,” Julian rolls his eyes, “He put you with Bailey. He’s cool. Besides, I still don’t have a roommate, so you’re welcome to come over whenever you want.”

“I don’t know, is this Bailey guy hot?”

Julian scowls, but Sebastian just laughs.

“It’s probably good, actually,” he says, “It’d suck if we got in a fight and had to come back to our shared room, you know? At least this way you have an escape when I do stupid shit like challenge your friends to song battles.”

“Which you’ll never do again, just to be clear.”

“When I do _other_ stupid shit, then. Because we both know it’s gonna happen eventually.”

“Maybe,” Julian says, squeezing lightly at Sebastian’s hand, “But I’m sure we can get through it.”

“I’m sure we can.”


	18. the love you take, the love you make

“…and last _and_ least, Sebastian Smythe,” Logan raises his eyes from the Stuart House roster, fixes Sebastian with a rather cool glare, “Room 212. Roommate is Bailey Tipton. Despite what our resident celebrity might tell you, the rules _do_ apply to you, alright? Curfew and everything.”

Sebastian just grins, walks forward to take his room key from Logan’s hands, “I’ll be a perfect angel, don’t worry.”

Logan just rolls his eyes, “Did you fill out your extracurricular application form?”

“Of course I did,” Sebastian pulls a folded sheet of paper from his back pocket and hands it over with a flourish. Logan unfolds it, skims the page.

“Lacrosse, French Club, and Debate?” Logan raises an eyebrow, “No Warblers?”

“Nah,” Sebastian says, “Figure that’s kind of your thing. Not really sure I wanna deal with that whole background-swaying, step-ball-change routine you guys do.”

“Shame. Your voice isn’t half bad.”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Julian says from the doorway, grinning widely, “That almost sounded like you two getting along.”

“I think we _do_ know how to be adults,” Sebastian says, “My dad’s been grooming me for politics since I was a toddler, I’m pretty good at pretending to like people.”

“Wait,” Logan frowns, turning back Sebastian’s way, “Your dad’s in politics, too?”

“Did Julian not tell you? That’s why we’ve been in France the last few years.”

“Hang on, do you have a brother named Reginald?”

Sebastian makes a face, “If you tell me you hooked up with _my brother_ …”

“No, that’s not it,” Logan laughs a little, “He got a little too tipsy at some gala my dad threw and puked on his desk. My stepmom had to sneak him out before my dad found out.”

Sebastian looks like a kid on Christmas morning, “Are you serious? That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard, I am _totally_ using that against him.”

“It was _champagne_ , too. Who the hell gets drunk off Cristal?”

“Probably right after his girlfriend dumped him. He was a _mess_.”

From the doorway, Julian’s staring between the two, vaguely horrified.

“Hang on,” he says, striding forward to take Sebastian’s arm, “I don’t like this. Friendly, sure. Not friends. I don’t want that.”

“Why?” Logan smirks, crossing his arms over his chest, “Afraid we’ll start sharing embarrassing stories about _you_ next?”

“Oh, J can hold his alcohol,” Sebastian says, “But one time he tried to drop it low at a club and pulled a muscle in his thigh. I had to carry him home.”

Logan snorts, “That’s nothing. He tried to one-up Derek in the gym once and nearly decapitated himself with a barbell. Pretty sure someone on the weightlifting team still has video.”

“Oh my god _stop_ ,” Julian pleads, but Sebastian just throws an arm around his shoulders.

“I gotta go unpack, but please think of your most humiliating stories, Wright. We can swap.”

“ _No,”_ Julian whines.

Logan grins, “We usually go for dinner around seven. I’m sure between us and Derek we can absolutely ruin his reputation in about an hour."

“I hate you both,” Julian says, “I’m dumping you, Seb. And Logan? Friendship over.”

“But I haven’t even told him about the time you got drunk and tried to flirt with your own reflection!”

“This was _such_ a bad idea.”

"Oh come on, Jules," Logan says, reaching over to ruffle his hair, "We're doing this for  _you_."


End file.
